198: Tremors (1990)

SPEAKER_00 0:04

Finally got to see its like full body, which was disappointingly turd-like I'd say.

SPEAKER_03 0:13

Greetings and salutations, and welcome to Hacker Slash. If you're joining us again, welcome back. Broke into the wrong goddamn wreck room, didn't you? If this is your first time listening, welcome to the party. We are a horror movie review podcast dedicated to telling you whether a movie is a hack, a total joke, a waste of time, or a slash.

SPEAKER_01 0:30

Totally killer, pun intended.

SPEAKER_03 0:32

We believe horror is for everyone, and as such, we're rating these movies with the perspective we've gained from our varying walks of life and the flavors of fear we fancy most. My name is Chris, I'm your friendly neighborhood slasher enthusiast. This week I'm joined by the Superfly Space Guy Mac. Howdy. The Gore Lover Alexis. Howdy y'all. And the Scream Queen Paris. Howdy. This week we're checking out a Western-themed subterranean Kevin Bacon film that kicked off a franchise which spawned five director video sequels and two attempts at a TV series. Before we check out what's going on underground though, we have some follow-up.

SPEAKER_00 1:05

Let's follow up on a movie. A movie, in fact, that could not be any more different from this, and that's Black Christmas 2019. Now, this was actually a special Patreon exclusive rewind episode, but in the Christmas spirit, we made it available to everybody on our public feed. So y'all got a chance to listen to the app. Hopefully you watched the movie with us because we wanted to hear what you thought. The results are in 57% gave this movie a hack, and 43% gave it a slash, which is surprisingly little discourse from what I was expecting based on everything we've talked about.

SPEAKER_03 1:38

Even in the last couple years, it has aged well.

SPEAKER_01 1:42

Wow, this is pretty split down the middle, and I definitely expected it to be more slashy. Oh, I expected it to be more hacky. Chris always talks about how everybody hates this movie.

SPEAKER_00 1:51

Maybe that's why it's right down the middle. I guess so. I guess that makes sense, Mac. We have a couple comments from our listeners, and this is where the discourse comes in. Daniel said, I cannot express my hatred for this film enough. The original is a classic, and this one had potential. First mistake was cursed statues. How the heck did they get that idea from the original? This movie straight up just robbed the Black Christmas title without any relevance to the 1974 film. Also, 1974 executed the feminist element so well. It wasn't the main plot like this movie was. I just can't get over the bad acting, bad dialogue, and lifetime horror elements in the 2019 film. One, let's say, billion percent hack? Hmm.

SPEAKER_03 2:32

All interesting things to point out, Daniel, because everything that you hate is a very specific choice and a very specific decision. The thing about the feminism of the original film is it's one of those things that wasn't really intended. The whole abortion subplot was something that was given just to give them something to talk about in the movie. Whereas the 2019 Black Christmas takes, okay, if it could be so casual back then, if it's so coincidental, what is it like to be a woman now? And how do we capture that spirit and make it a deliberate choice? So if you don't like it, you don't like it, but it's interesting that the things that you don't like are exactly what it expected and intended to do.

SPEAKER_00 3:10

We have another comment from one of our listeners, Rob, who said, I have dreaded this movie coming up. Several people accused me of being a woman hater because I didn't like this film. Just because I agree with your message, that does not mean that you made a good movie. This one is a complete 100% hack.

SPEAKER_02 3:24

This is interesting to see how polarized this movie is. I think because I enjoyed it, but Chris, like you mentioned, a lot of people don't. And I see where they're coming from, although I did enjoy it. I I do like when we review a movie that is polarized and there's half and half.

SPEAKER_00 3:40

We have one last comment from our listener, Amber. She said this. While the 1974 version is the ultimate classic slasher, I can definitely give the 2019 version a slash. It really is a testament of women coming together in strength in the midst of the Harvey Weinstein era. But the fact that Chris was hating on the 2006 version so hard made me curious enough to give it a rewatch. And I have to agree, it was just plain awful.

SPEAKER_03 4:02

Ooh, I'm so glad we're right here on the same page together.

SPEAKER_02 4:05

I do have to admit there is one gentleman that did give the 2019 a slash, and that would be Joe. We were talking about it on our chat. I had to scroll back on Instagram. I was like, there's been a guy that's liked this movie for sure. Who would slash this?

SPEAKER_00 4:18

The Mac in Paris erasure is real. We're just some of the girls now, Paris. We're some of the girls, Mac. It's a good place to be.

SPEAKER_03 4:26

What is that that Paris always says? The girls that get it get it, and the girls that don't, don't.

SPEAKER_00 4:29

That's exactly right. Speaking of girls that get it, we want to thank one of our newest patrons, Elizabeth. First of all, Elizabeth, one of my favorite names of all time is the human name Elizabeth. I call all of my friends Elizabeth. I pretend that my middle name is Elizabeth. It's just hilarious. The name Elizabeth has a lot of comedic value, and you're so lucky to have that name. Also, you can do so much with it. There's Liz, Eliza, Beth. I don't know if you go by Beth. I probably wouldn't recommend that one.

SPEAKER_02 4:54

Lizzie.

SPEAKER_00 4:54

Oh, Lizzie. Absolutely. Lizzie Borden giving that. But what I do recommend is giving us a call on the hackerslash hotline. Let us know what you think about this movie that we're about to review, and maybe we'll play your message on an upcoming episode. And that's our follow-up.

SPEAKER_03 5:07

Well, during a visit to Darwin, California, screenwriter S. S. Wilson rested on a desert rock. Now, during that rest, he contemplated what it'd be like if something underground kept him from getting off. That thought sparked the beginnings of a 95-minute film that grew to be a hit in the home video market, which raked in more in VHS sales and rentals than it did during its theatrical run. This week we're talking about Tremors. Who's seen this one before?

SPEAKER_02 5:32

So interestingly enough, I swear I've seen this movie because it feels like I know the characters, and I when I watched this, it was almost like I knew some of the scenes, but I realized I never saw this. I actually probably saw it in passing as my stepdad was watching it because I called him and he definitely said he'd watch this when I was younger. So probably something I saw in the background, and they were like, cover your eyes, which I'm not sure why. I saw way worse things at a young age than this.

SPEAKER_00 6:02

I had a similar experience, Alexis. I famously come from a long line of white trash. So I feel like this movie was on all the time in the background of my aunt's house, of our house, but I never like fully watched it because like anything that's like dry and deserty, I'm just like uh boring. And there's like no color, you know, everything's like so drab. So it just didn't excite me when I was younger. So I never actually fully gave this movie my attention.

SPEAKER_01 6:23

Well, I saw this movie many times growing up. I had a childhood friend who introduced me to it. It was their favorite movie, and so I watched it like many times within like one year, and then several times uh after that.

SPEAKER_00 6:36

Wait, Mac, this is my boyfriend's favorite movie too.

SPEAKER_03 6:39

What? Is it the same person?

SPEAKER_00 6:40

It's it's not the same person, but but it could be. He's from the Bahamas. So when he was younger, he used to call this movie Tings because like them ting's in the ground.

SPEAKER_02 6:50

I love that.

SPEAKER_00 6:51

And just him telling me that, I was like, that's the cutest thing I've ever heard. It's awesome.

SPEAKER_03 6:55

Alexa, similarly to you, I thought this was something that I had seen before, and I actually realized that what I've seen are several moments from many different Tremors films, but never this one in its entirety, which was a bit of a surprise to me. But going into it, I kept an open mind. I remember seeing one particular death in this movie before and thinking, Oh, this is just dusty jaws. You know what I mean? It's just land jaws. But one of the things I wasn't expecting was the accent work we get from Kevin Bacon.

SPEAKER_01 7:27

Well, having seen it, I knew what to expect. So I expected what I found comedic in the dialogue. Um, some pretty memorable characters, including, of course, Kevin Bacon with his accent. Uh, but of course, the holy grail, practical effects.

SPEAKER_02 7:40

Same, same Mac. I was watching the trailer, and I typically don't, but I did, and I was like, I'm gonna hate this movie, but I have seen some YouTube videos or something that talks about the practical effects of these worms. I'm gonna call them worms. And I thought I was like, okay, cool, this is gonna be interesting at at least that part to watch. I was expecting to enjoy the practical effects, but not the rest of the movie.

SPEAKER_00 8:07

So on my own, I had pretty low expectations for this movie. Obviously, it never really grabbed my interest all this time enough to watch it. But I think it was Thanksgiving last year, just a couple months ago. My boyfriend and I saw that all of the Tremors movies are available on some sort of platform for free. Stars. I think that's what it was. Yeah, it was stars and we had a free trial. So we put the entire franchise on, except the first one, because I was like, Oh, can't do that one because that one's coming up soon. Uh, we started at number two and put all of them on in the background throughout the day. And from every little thing that I glimpsed while barely paying attention, I was like, What the hell is this? So the expectation was even lower. At one point I was like, What is this now? He's like, Oh, this is the one where they travel through time. And I was like, Do you hear yourself?

SPEAKER_03 8:53

That's a wild ride, Paris. And let me just compliment you on not only starting the rest of the franchise beginning with number two, but actually having the tolerance and wherewithal to keep it on and continue with the franchise. I'm impressed.

SPEAKER_00 9:08

Listen, it was a very productive day where I did everything but watch TV.

SPEAKER_03 9:11

Fantastic. So the thing about the expectations for this movie, obviously, you know, Mac and Alexis have both heralded this for its practical effects, which I knew were going to be good going into it. But this was one of those situations where I started the movie and it starts off so differently than I expected. And the taste that you immediately get in your mouth is so dry and dusty, and it's so western, and it's so comedic, like slapstick comedy, that I started out in a pretty negative hole in this movie and ended up traveling like peaks and valleys. There are some elements that I found like, okay, this works really well, and there are other elements where I'm like, what the fuck am I watching? What is this nonsense? And I find that this is just another one of those examples of like a horror comedy that I don't necessarily gravitate to. Like horror comedy has to walk a very particular line, and this one is kind of hopping and straddling the line without ever really walking it.

SPEAKER_01 10:09

It's so interesting because I was surprised to see this in the lineup. I never thought of this as being a horror movie in my life. I always thought of it as being more of just a science fiction movie or just maybe like a B I don't know, some sort of B movie, whether it's like creature movie or monster movie or what. I just never like slotted it as a horror movie. So I mean, I was, of course, entertained. This is a movie I've seen many times. And even though I've seen it many times, I was still entertained this viewing. I mean, it's been a little bit since the last time I watched it, but I just like I'm surprised that it's even here. Um, you know, I got some I got some flack for putting Sphere in the lineup, but this it's it's I know there's a creature, I know there's a monster, so you could definitely throw it into horror, but it would to me it was just like be sci-fi comedy.

SPEAKER_03 10:55

Oh, this is for sure more of a horror movie than sphere was, and I agree with Sphere being a horror movie.

SPEAKER_00 11:00

But I can also see where you're coming from, Mac. Like it doesn't seem like this movie would be a horror movie. Like, even remembering, I was like, isn't that like a family action sci-fi kind of thing? And then I was like, oh, there's lots of blood, lots of death. Not as much death as I might have wanted, which is something that I felt while watching it. But I did, like Chris was saying, I did have some peaks and valleys. There were moments where I was like kind of getting into like the romper room antics of our two main male protagonists, and then there's like a couple comedic bits throughout, but also I felt bored while watching this to the point where midday I fell asleep twice and had to wake up and rewind.

SPEAKER_03 11:37

I have a confession, I had to watch this movie twice.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

Something about the dust and debris just kind of all blurs together.

SPEAKER_03 11:44

It's the heat. The heat makes me sleepy. That's what it is. Obviously, I'm full of shit. But no, I I watched this movie and had fallen asleep after and thought, oh my god, I fell asleep. I need to actually go back and watch this entire movie again. Then I put the movie on again and realize, oh wait, I was awake for the whole thing. It just felt semi-forgettable.

SPEAKER_02 12:02

Well, I feel out of place because typically I do fall asleep during boring movies. And this one, I had someone napping next to me and I still did not fall asleep. To me, I was entertained because I was wondering where the movie was gonna go. There's parts I remember as a child, maybe a semi-teenager. I'm not really sure at what point I watched this or saw some scenes from it, but I was interested to see where the plot was gonna go, where what was gonna go on. I think I was craving more. That's why I was led to enjoying it and being entertained, just because I thought, you know, the payoff would be good for me. But one thing I was surprised by was the comedy. I think when I saw the trailer, it did a hit pretty hard, but I noticed as soon as I got in the first scene, I was like, oh, this is a very interesting because I'm so used to horror comedies being very comedic, but this was just to me very subtle, and I kind of laughed out loud on certain points. I was like, oh, that's funny. That's a cool one-liner.

SPEAKER_03 13:11

It was a little dry, but I don't know. I liked it. I'm sorry, just to clarify, you said the comedy in this movie is subtle.

SPEAKER_02 13:18

To me, it's like there are comedic characters that are there for that. So to me, I knew what they stood for, but in the entire scape of the movie, it wasn't like a Tucker and Dale versus evil sort of vibe.

SPEAKER_03 13:33

I got I got the vibe that they were trying to be just as funny and just weren't as good at it. There are some characters that are funny in a subtle way. There is specifically a line that I'll reference later when one character hands another character a set of specific items that I thought was fucking hilarious and I was cracking up laughing. But on the most part, this movie was filled with a lot of back and forth between these two guys that I didn't really connect with. I think for me, that was actually a biggest surprise and disappointment was Kevin Bacon. I don't know that I really even like I don't I don't want to think that I dislike Kevin Bacon. Everyone seems to know the guy. He seems to be, you know, a man with a successful career. I wasn't a huge fan of him in the original Friday the 13th. He did have a great death, but in this movie, I could not possibly be any less connected to his character than I felt this entire runtime. And it just distracted me more than anything.

SPEAKER_00 14:31

Chris, I totally understand that disappointment. But you ready to be surprised?

SPEAKER_03 14:35

You loved that shit. You thought he was a himbo.

SPEAKER_00 14:37

I actually did relate to those characters. Listen, I didn't really care for Kevin Bacon, but I was surprised with how much I wasn't annoyed by the two of them and their like back and forth that they kept doing. Because normally on paper, I'd be like, get me out of here. But I was like, kind of I found it like a little bit charming, like a little bit endearing. And I was like, oh, these guys are kind of cute. They just want to like make it out of this small town and like make something of themselves, and it's just never gonna happen for them. But I was surprisingly, I think, uh I'll say charmed by the cast of characters overall. Uh I was definitely disappointed by the I guess like lack of brutality when it comes to the kills. It's a lot of like um stuff you don't see that I wish we got to see.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

I think it's pretty accurate. It's very it's almost family friendly, which is probably why I was able to watch it as a child.

SPEAKER_00 15:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:26

You know, as I mean, my child friend at the time was like, oh, this is one of my favorite movies. So they had obviously seen it for a couple years and they owned it on VHS, and so we were allowed to watch it as children, and their parents like didn't think it was an issue whatsoever, and it I wasn't scarred in any sort of way. Um, it is it is kind of light on the on the gore in in in my book at least, um, as an adult. But the thing that surprised me is I I thought it was raunchier for some reason. Like my memory of it is several years old, and I always thought that the jokes were raunchier and that that our two protagonists were gonna be like just really kind of like uncle femur. And I was very surprised that some of it was not that. There is there's a little bit of horn dog in there, I'll give you that. But um, a lot of it was just like silly antics back and forth.

SPEAKER_03 16:11

Kevin Bacon's character is looking for an ass that won't quit.

SPEAKER_01 16:14

So yeah. Yeah, he's the horn dog, that's for sure. But you know, I I think between the two of them, and even when they interact with everyone else, it's just kind of like they're just the good old boys of the Podong Town. And it's not as not as bad as I remembered it.

SPEAKER_03 16:28

It's not as bad as you remembered it, and I'm I'm glad to know that it not being as bad as you remember it is probably indicative of how not frightening this movie is, particularly for children watching it. I think this is what we all imagine to some extent of like uh going out in the water and there being something lurking beneath the surface. And this is just, again, Jaws but in the desert for me. I mean, I think that's a fair comparison without it being the attempt at like really serious cinematic filmmaking that Spielberg gives you. You know what I mean? I think the element of this that works so well are the the creature design. And it's one of those things where I think if I were a small child and had seen this, maybe I would have been really fucking freaked out and spooked out if I ever went into a dev desert environment. But I think overall the film really just soaks out any of the fear that you have and replaces it with just okay, what are these chuckle fucks up to?

SPEAKER_01 17:23

That uh that's pretty accurate. I think you would potentially be scared of this if you're the type of person that won't walk barefoot outside. Like if you're so scared of the tiny little things on the ground biting your feet that you won't do it and you have to put on shoes or something. But if you're any other human, there there's not a lot of fear here.

SPEAKER_00 17:39

Not afraid of sharks in the water, definitely not afraid of worms in the dirt.

SPEAKER_01 17:43

That's good to know. Uh, are you afraid of worms in your hand?

SPEAKER_00 17:46

Not really. If I if it was a surprise, I'd be like, ah, and I'd drop it. But if I knew it was happening, I think I could manage.

SPEAKER_02 17:53

These worms in your hand kind of gross. They're just really like, I don't know, the texture on these is very frightful. Reminds me of certain things. But um, I think in general, they could have done more to make these a little bit more scarier, but I think in general, just something below the surface that you're unaware of that could come and eat you is kind of terrifying. But this movie, not frightening.

SPEAKER_01 18:17

Well, it's it's interesting that we all have similar thoughts about how this is not scary, right? I mean, we're all adults, and I think if we had watched this when we were like eight, maybe we would have different opinions. But I remember not being scared of it back then. But I know, Chris, you you've you think about this as like being Jaws in the desert. I never really put another movie next to it. And I know similarly, you know, yes, there's a big animal and it surprises you or whatever, but I think as a film in total, I just I don't know, Tremors has always had like a singular place in my mind as being its own original thing.

SPEAKER_02 18:49

I get that. I get the whole tremors, the idea the antagonist is original, but to me, this movie felt so much like it was trying really hard to be cinematic. And I almost had to look up and I'm like, man, Steven Spielberg did not make this because it felt like I was watching Jurassic Park or was trying to be Jurassic Park, but also Indiana Jones at the same time.

SPEAKER_03 19:14

Nope, just the one character, just the one character who was also in Jurassic Park. That's it.

SPEAKER_00 19:19

No, this definitely had Jurassic Park energy. I I second that Alexis.

SPEAKER_02 19:23

It did, it had very like Steven Spielberg vibes, like from the 90s.

SPEAKER_00 19:28

Yes, because the music, the way it kind of like builds, I think sonically, feels very Jurassic Park. Like you know, there's these big creatures, and it's kind of um I don't know, it had like an action adventure family movie vibe in the same way that Jurassic Park did. So I feel that, Alexis, for sure.

SPEAKER_03 19:45

I think there's a lot to this movie that doesn't feel original. This is very buddy comedy meets monster movie, and I think there's a lot in it that is pretty strong. I know I've probably sounded super negative about this movie so far. I promise I do actually have a lot of good things to say about it, but I think where this movie sticks the landing in terms of originality is meshing those two subgenres really well to make its own distinct product. There's a lot in this movie that I could pinpoint and say, cool, that is something from Jaws. You know what I mean? Like there's a certain death that someone gets flailed around, and you're like, okay, what are we doing here, guys? But there's a lot more in the movie that I think, even just in terms of the technical originality of how they're able to pull some of these things off, that feels really solid and very singular in my mind. Where I think it gets a little bit more off the rails, though, for me, is the ending. I'm not mad at the conclusion of things and like the overall outcome on paper, but there's something that I feel is just kind of thrown in at the end that I wish had just been left out.

SPEAKER_02 20:50

Yeah, I agree with that part. Also, this ending was very predictable. I think with the theme of this movie and kind of the vibes of the family friendliness of it, you needed to have a ending like this.

SPEAKER_01 21:04

That makes sense. Like the ending fits the vibe of the movie, and I like when that happens. I feel like the ending is solid compared to what you get leading up to it. I'm curious what Chris has to say about the ending specifically later, so I definitely want to know what felt thrown in. You're right, Alexis. It feels like it matches, and that's kind of what you want from that feeling that Paris described where it's like family-friendly action-adventure monster thing. It's like you want it to end in a kind of a predictable way.

SPEAKER_00 21:31

I have a feeling I know the part that Chris feels was thrown in at the end because there's a part at the end that I was like, really? No, I don't think. But I also kind of didn't really see the end coming. I thought we would get some other outcome than what we got. But I guess it does make sense, like in hindsight. I think overall I wasn't mad about the ending. We did get something quite explosive in the ending that I enjoyed.

SPEAKER_03 21:55

I think one of the cool things is there's this phrase that I heard many moons ago. And that's all good movies end just as they began. I think this is a movie that pulls that off really well. And we'll unpack that later. But let's go ahead and start making our way to our ratings now. Before we actually raid Tremors as a hack or a slash, Alexis, how many people died in this film? We had a total of eight deaths in this movie. But what about the animal report?

SPEAKER_00 22:21

All eight of those deaths were basically animals. No, not really, but it was a really bad animal report this time around. The entire old McDonald's farm, gutted, left for dead. Worms are technically animals, so not great there. Uh, this is a good episode for Ryan to not have to be here.

SPEAKER_03 22:37

Let's go ahead and get into our ratings. Tremors from 1990 storing Kevin Bacon. Was it a hack or a slash?

SPEAKER_02 22:43

Well, you know, I'm a slash until proven hack, and I don't think this went into complete waste of time territory. I loved the cast in this movie, specifically the way they all work together, essentially. I know they all do their own thing, but I don't know why. Anytime this whole town was together of 14 people, it felt authentic to me. And I think that's what I loved about it. Is anytime they were together, it was funny. It felt like I was dropped in the middle of what would be happening in the middle of a town. It felt authentic. And I love that. I love the practical effects. There were some things I wish that were in this movie. I wish there was more gore. I feel like they could have done more with that. But all in all, I don't think it was a total waste of time, and I'd be interested to see how the rest of the franchise goes.

SPEAKER_01 23:35

It it goes in a number of ways. I can tell you that. Yeah. But for this one, I'm gonna give it a slash. I feel like that's pretty obvious based on my tone so far, but yeah, I mean, it it hit me at the right time in childhood where I associated it with positive thoughts. And even on a rewatch, you know, it's it's entertaining. It's not it's not a ton of work for your brain to do. It's just like one of those movies that's family-friendly for the most part. There's some swearing, obviously. So if you don't like swearing around your children, don't watch it with them. But it it does feel kind of predictable at certain points. There is some some buddy comedy, which I enjoy. I feel like it worked pretty well. Uh, there's some great moments of dialogue, and then some mediocre moments in the dialogue as well. Uh, the setting works really well for the film, and there's some really unique characters that you just have a certain feeling about. I don't know. There's there's something about it that will always stick with me, and so it's a slash.

SPEAKER_00 24:35

So I really had to think about what I was gonna say about this because this movie is a hack to me, but I feel bad about it. My boyfriend loves this movie. It's not a bad movie. It was I can't say entertaining. I was personally not particularly entertained. I feel like it was very repetitive and snoozy. Like you're the the beginning was solid before we kind of even got into the main bulk of the movie, but the bulk of the movie is like, oh no, there's a worm, okay, we're safe again. Oh no, there's a worm, okay, we're safe again. All in different like rocks and mountains and stores and different locations, but it's the same thing every time. So it caused me to fall asleep a couple times. It was pretty well acted, I think. I liked the characters a lot, and there's definitely a lot to enjoy from this movie, but it's not a Paris movie. This isn't my kind of thing. I'm gonna hack it and just know that there's a slash in this household.

SPEAKER_03 25:33

I love that Dwight keeps you honest.

SPEAKER_00 25:35

He does. Someone has to.

SPEAKER_03 25:36

So I know I've sounded pretty embittered about this movie so far, and I think it's just because there's a lot in this from a comedic perspective that does not work for me by any stretch of the imagination. But one of the really cool things is how stunning this movie is technically. I absolutely love the engineering that went into this film. I also really love the supporting characters in this film. I'm not crazy about our two main dudes. I'm really not. They felt like an early attempt at a Tucker and Dale, but then Tucker and Dale versus Evil probably looked back to this movie and thought, hmm, okay, we like that, we respect it, we want to do it even better. And I think it's just one of those things that doesn't land for me. I can see why this movie spawns a franchise. I get it. I can really see, in particular, how something as iconic as the design of these subterranean worms has really made this a cult classic. And I think one of the other really cool things is just the way they engineer some of the deaths, even though you see very little gore, like that feels like a perfect balance to me. That feels like a really wholesome, you want to see people get wrecked in pretty interesting ways, but you don't have to go all out with the levels of brutality I think you'd want to see in like an already remake nowadays. So this movie was a complete hack to me, and it was then barely saved by the effects in the supporting cast. Unfortunately, though, it's still a soft hack for me. I just can't look at this as something I really want to keep watching again and again.

SPEAKER_00 27:11

I'm glad I'm not alone.

SPEAKER_03 27:12

A rare time that we agree.

SPEAKER_00 27:14

Yeah, and it's obviously for completely different reasons. I found the kit the two guys to be likable.

SPEAKER_03 27:20

Yep. We're nothing if not the same and totally different. Now, with that, Tremors from 1990 has earned two slashes and two hacks. Now you can still find this movie streaming on stars, so go ahead, check it out. Then join us in the second half so we can see what's underground together. We'll see you in a bit.

SPEAKER_02 27:40

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SPEAKER_03 28:18

Welcome back, folks. You're now entering the spoiler zone for Tremors, which has earned two hacks and two slashes. Now we have a lot to get to here, but before we get into the specifics of our ratings, we do have the matter of gore to attend to. Alexis, what's the gore score for these worms? I said low.

SPEAKER_02 28:34

Because you get a scene or two, sorta bloody, there's chunks. I wish there was more, but in certain scenes. Like I don't need a lot of gore. I just wish there was like a tad bit more. Mostly on the worms. You didn't like the orange goo that came out of them?

SPEAKER_03 28:50

Nah, to me it was super fake. Yeah. I mean, obviously, because the worms were super fake.

SPEAKER_00 28:56

Um, the worms were convincing me of realness until they exploded into orange goo.

SPEAKER_02 29:01

What I'm trying to say is if they were in your body, they would be it the gore would be way higher. If it was a personal matter, it'd be a lot higher, not through a movie.

SPEAKER_00 29:10

Because then we'd get more human gore, but I feel like we mostly got worm gore.

SPEAKER_02 29:14

Yeah, which I was a fan of. And you know, they did use meat parts purchased from a butcher to s simulate the uh mutilated sheep, which I thought was cool. And you know, that you have that explosion at the end, but I wish I just got a little bit more, like more chunks in their face, like just something where it was like a little grotesque, but you knew it was fake. So I don't know, maybe just because of the rating of this movie and the time, it just wasn't, but I don't know. I just wish there was a little bit more like guts, like more worm guts.

SPEAKER_01 29:47

They definitely look like pumpkins.

SPEAKER_02 29:49

Yeah. It's like pumpkin spice worm explosion.

SPEAKER_01 29:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 29:53

Exactly. That sounds really yummy, kind of. You didn't like the brain matter jello shit that was in those construction helmets?

SPEAKER_02 30:02

I I'm gonna be honest with you, doesn't even ring a bell because it was so insignificant to me. It was just a very nothing dwelled on a lot. What is this peasant gore? What is this from the gore lover? This is non-existent. I didn't even notice it.

SPEAKER_03 30:16

This is gore poverty.

SPEAKER_00 30:18

It didn't make a blip on the radar.

SPEAKER_03 30:20

Okay, but I did like the jackhammer that went into the Graboid that was then pulled through the road. It was just a little bit of blood that pulled up, and sure, it looked obviously way too bright and really stupid looking, but I enjoyed the spirit and the effort of it. Oh, for sure, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 30:38

I'm glad the Graboid blood was kind of bright though, because it made it interesting compared to most other movies that would have done this with like bright green blood. This made it seem more terrestrial.

SPEAKER_02 30:50

Yeah, and it fit the atmosphere, in my opinion. If you had green, it'd be very like it'd be so disconnected, in my opinion. But I was wondering what you guys would have on your favorite desk.

SPEAKER_03 31:01

Okay, we all obviously loved Walter, right?

SPEAKER_01 31:04

That's right. Mm-hmm. The Jaws death. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 31:07

Absolutely. Grabbed, then flung around and flailed around. I think because of the deaths being so off-screen. Like we know that there's Graboid, there's Person, all of a sudden person's out for the count. But Walter is the one who ended up suffering quite a bit in the store that led to a lot of dramatics. There's another death that actually made it into my favorite scene a little bit a little bit later on, but deathwise, Walter, mmm, top notch.

SPEAKER_01 31:31

I also liked Fred's scene. I I think a lot of this movie is all like alluded to when it comes to Gore and Deaths, and that that's okay. It works for the movie, but Fred's death, it does show at least his head remaining behind, which was kind of cool. Like we didn't see a decapitation or anything. We don't need to for this level of movie.

SPEAKER_02 31:50

It literally looks like a floating head.

SPEAKER_01 31:52

And that's okay. It tells us what's going on.

SPEAKER_03 31:55

So fake. Okay. So fake looking. Sure. Yes, again, because they didn't cut off his head, it is obviously fake. Okay, so when we saw his head underneath the little Freddy Cougar Fedora, I thought is that his body had been sucked into the ground and only his face was remaining, and sure it probably cut off at some point. I did not process that as a sheer decapitation, and just the head was what was left behind.

SPEAKER_00 32:16

Wait, literally, same, Chris, until just now.

SPEAKER_03 32:19

Same.

SPEAKER_01 32:20

They do make reference to it when they're like alerting the townspeople that there's there's a psycho killer out there like chopping off people's heads.

SPEAKER_03 32:28

Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 32:29

I mean, to be fair, they did fully just yank Edgar's body off of that electric pole, and then I imagine it just thudded on the ground and they dragged it away.

SPEAKER_03 32:38

He was a very dry man.

SPEAKER_00 32:39

Ew. Moisturizer goes a long way. Honestly, my favorite death is actually the final Graboid death. Which I'm counting. I think that counts. It was the most explosive. It was a long time coming. And I think it was the best Graboid death of them all because it was like a long fall. You finally got to see its like full body, which was disappointingly turd-like I'd say. And then it just exploded into goopin bits at the bottom. And I was like, ooh, and the way there was like texture and like there were like little like tears in its flesh. I thought it was really cool.

SPEAKER_02 33:09

Poor one out for Stumpy. To me, it was disappointing, Matt. If you're discounting the television series Tremors, Edgar and Howard are the only characters in the entire franchise that died other than from the worm. So, you know, Edgar dies from dehydration, Howard dies as a result of the rock fall. But all of these were a little bit lackluster, in my opinion. I think because I was craving more of that gore. And I'm not talking about extreme gore, but if I did have to pick one, it would be Jim. So he's the doctor that was camping out with his wife. And I like how he's pulled into the ground, and I love the mechanics of all of that. But also you see the graboid for the first time. And I was like, oh, cool. This is it's a big guy with small guys coming out of it, which the mechanics I thought were great because you actually see this for the first time and you see the coolness of these antagonists. So going along with this death is the perspective of the Graboids. And I love how you don't get it all the time, but especially in the beginning of the movie, you have this low camera work that's my favorite. But also this setting to me visually, since I just came back from a trip at the end of the summer from Utah, I just love this sort of landscape. It's very desolate. You have this geographic isolation that goes on, and Bert talks about that too. So I just felt like it was a little bit relatable to me.

SPEAKER_01 34:33

You know, Lexus, I'm surprised that you picked the same thing that I picked for visuals. And that is this worn-in podunk backcountry, middle of nowhere town. I feel like was the best setting. It felt so dusty and isolated. It felt trashy, especially when we see the dudes like load their crap up in the back of the truck. It felt just so real. It felt like you could go into the middle of nowhere and find a town, and these people would be there in real life. And that was effective. I feel like in so many movies you get this like attempt at it, but you can tell that it's really fake. This looks like they just went somewhere, like, load this crap in this truck, we're gonna use it for a movie. And and I love that. I feel like if you do it well, you know what it looks real. And if you do it badly, it looks like okay, I get it. You had to put some stuff in a truck. Understood. I'm gonna ignore that because it's not important for the plot. But I legit feel like someone's trailer loaded up on that truck is a real thing that was filmed.

SPEAKER_03 35:27

I think those are both really great things to point out visually. And I think mine really compliments both. And that is just a the creature design of the Graboids, it's the thought and the care that was put into the actual design of them. Even just the the evolution of that, right? Like originally these things were supposed to be looking really dry, and then they ended up adding uh like a gloss paint effect and a varnish to make them look more slimy, which I think really changes the game for these things. I think for as dry and dusty as this whole setting is, I think the sliminess of these worms is also more suspicious and more disgusting. And it's one of those things that I may not want to revisit this movie, but it makes me want to revisit the franchise and see how the graboids continue to evolve. But the other element of that is not only just the effects of this creature design, but rather how they pull off the practical effects for literally everything. It's the combination of puppetry and then also the small-scale model in puppets that they seamlessly edit together to bring this whole thing to life. And even like the shot of Rhonda and Val running back into the store with the displays floorboards, kind of like just bumping up underneath them. Absolutely fucking brilliant.

SPEAKER_00 36:38

I agree, Chris. I really think the mucus also went a long way with the worm design. I feel like good use of mucus goes a long way with any kind of character design because it just gives you that like spooky, like, ugh, like I don't even want it to touch me kind of thing, let alone completely eviscerate me with all of its sharp parts. And I do have a favorite visual element because I asked my boyfriend what my favorite visual element should be, and he got it right. But it's the scene where you have the the car being sucked under at night, and you just see like the headlights like shooting directly into the sky, almost like those like searchlights that you see at like, I don't know, like a strip club or like Batman. But it gave me that kind of energy, but just like the thought of a car being like vertically sucked into the ground, and then that wide shot we got, I thought was really, really cool and really well done.

SPEAKER_03 37:25

Ferris, that was actually a really great point, and that's actually my whole favorite scene. I love the suspense of Megan having to A, realize what the fuck is going on with her husband. She loses him immediately, sees that there's something like coming at her, and she cr jumps into the car, into the back of it for safety, and you think, okay, it's a small generator that disappeared. My husband disappeared. Surely I'm safe in this whole car. And no. And what really is crazy to me is the fact that it was supposed to be a much longer scene. She was supposed to like kick out the window, climb onto the hood, and kind of go down with it like it was a Titanic. And there's something that wasn't working properly, so that's when they ended up flipping to let's just have the headlights uh beaming up into the sky, and then you just see them flicker out. And you think, okay, is there like a loss of power? Did they somehow shut the car off? But when they find the car later and the headlights are still on, ooh, yeah, so fucking good.

SPEAKER_00 38:22

That was very cool.

SPEAKER_01 38:24

See, I have compliments. My favorite scene also involved vehicles, but in a very different way, and it's the tractor escape scene. I I know it's kind of one of the most like slapsticky scenes of the movie, and I really am not the biggest fan of that, but I feel like it had a lot of hijinks in it, so I gotta give it credit for that. And they had to actually come up with a plan and execute that plan and then deal with crap that was unexpected. And to see the different characters playing off of each other, I think, is why it was such a good scene. Because a lot of the film is our two main characters doing their thing and other people following along, and every moment where everyone's involved is just so much more interesting. And this one it took it took the the entire town uh to make this escape a success.

SPEAKER_03 39:10

You know, it takes the entire town, all 14 of them. It takes a whole village. But I think what I really love about that is the fact that the Graboids dug up a trap. I really enjoy that. It shows like a level of cat and mouse and intelligence of the Graboids that I wasn't really expecting.

SPEAKER_01 39:28

Yeah, I mean, it's it's an it's a part of the movie that I actually forgot about, and it's been a few years since the last time I watched it, but the whole like escape and getting in the tractor, like that part's that part's memorable to me, but for some reason I forgot the fact about the fact that like they cut them off and they tank to that tractor. And how how brilliant if you're gonna show that these beings are sentient and that they can plan and and work like wild animals. I think the idea that they're kind of like sharks but on land works so well. Um, you know, especially when you consider the fact that like they're not just it's not just one of them, that we have like three different worms that they're trying to fight against. And these these graboids are obviously they mention older than most of the other life that we're used to dealing with, so they probably have to learn a couple tricks along the way.

SPEAKER_02 40:14

So I have two favorite scenes. My first one's just like a little snippet where Walter is making the dead graboid into like a photo op, and it just seems so funny to me. Mindy sitting on the chair, and then you have the grab boy just on top of her. And I just thought it was just cute humor that you know people always try to feel like it's an independence day with Will Smith and they try to use some things as photo ops. Aliens are always used as photo ops. Again, Jaws. They kill the shark, they pose with the shark. There you go. Okay, maybe this is Jaws in the desert.

SPEAKER_01 40:53

But look, Walter's also just an entrepreneur, and you gotta respect his hustle.

SPEAKER_02 40:57

I totally agree with that.

SPEAKER_00 40:58

I have to say, my favorite scene is when we have Earl, Valentine, and Rhonda trying to come up with a plan on how they can escape. And Earl and Valentine are up their own asses trying to figure something out, and Rhonda's like, well, I have a plan. The smart person here has a plan, and they ignore her at first, but then we end up getting this like really fun pole vaulting montage, which is not something I thought would happen going into this movie. And as somebody who did pole vault for Track and Field, I was like, this is cute and fun, not accurate really, but effective enough for me to buy it. And it was like a fun little like lighthearted moment that I was like not mad about at all. It made me like feel warm and fuzzy a little bit.

SPEAKER_02 41:34

Exactly. To me, it's the dynamic of all of the characters, and especially when they're all on the rock and they're trying to figure out what to do next, and then they're all just kind of giving up, and next thing you know, it's kind of quick scene, and they're all just like sitting still on the rock, which I feel like to me seems like something that would happen in real life. You know, everyone's thinking way too hard and trying to be two steps ahead that you just kind of give up and you just sit on the rock. And I was like, you know, these people are people I know. These are this is probably what would honestly happen. You just wait a little bit and hopefully these things would go away, but they don't. So I just I love that part.

SPEAKER_01 42:13

Really? Tremors is just a metaphor for life.

SPEAKER_02 42:16

It sure freaking is. Paris, I know you had mentioned as well that the two main guys are, you know, charming and endearing, and that's kind of how I felt about this entire cast, you know, especially I mentioned it before. The small town vibe when they're in the diner, just seeing the dynamic just felt so real, and I think that's just what made me specifically give this movie a slash.

SPEAKER_03 42:37

I can respect the small town feel. I dig that quite a bit. For me, Bert and his wife and Walter were the really shining stars of the cast outside of Rhonda, and I guess those those two guys we're supposed to really like. But the moment that I really just turned me on to this love of the supporting cast is a moment where Walter, they're like prepping the horses and he's like, Here's some Swiss cheese and some bullets. What the fuck are you talking about? Like, who would just hand someone Swiss cheese and bullets? But it was that line that was just it felt so random, but also so casual. And he's just like, I don't know, it reminds me of my mom trying to just like give me anything when I'm getting out the door. Like, here's $20, like in case you need it. You know what I mean? It's like this endearing, I want to provide for you, but also his and this entire town has been ransacked by these worms and there's like nothing left. Eat some cheese, fire some bullets, and you're set.

SPEAKER_00 43:31

That was definitely a charming moment, Chris. And honestly, it's not a bad combination. How do we think that cheese became Swiss if not for the bullets?

SPEAKER_03 43:40

You're right.

SPEAKER_00 43:40

Here's something that maybe only Alexis can vibe with, and I'm really hoping. Alexis, did you think Earl was kind of hot?

SPEAKER_02 43:46

Yeah, I think he's got a vibe about him. Something about him. I feel like he would have been hot as a younger dude. Usually I go for older men, but in this case, younger.

SPEAKER_00 43:55

I feel like this was him hot as a younger dude, but also just like anybody next to Kevin Bake. I think automatically looks more attractive.

SPEAKER_01 44:02

I think the supporting cast really really makes the movie here. I think Walter was definitely the right character to pick out of this, Chris. Like really kind of a standout. Just I don't know. He doesn't have to actually do anything, just his lines, his delivery, his involvement with everyone in the town, just someone I think we all enjoy seeing. I think Bert is somebody who sticks around in the franchise for quite a while. Um and it makes sense why. Like this totally works with him as a character. And same thing with Heather. Bert Bert and Heather together, that combination, I think they're in for several movies. And Michael Gross, I think, was one of the only original cast members to show up for like the 30th anniversary showing of it. And he's in it. He loves this thing, I assume, if he's gonna be in like several movies of it. You would have to love it to be in straight to DVD sequels, just saying.

SPEAKER_00 44:52

Oh, Reba, we need to talk about the Reba of it all. When Reba came on to this film, actually, no, when I saw Reba's name in the credits, I said, What? I'm sorry. When did this happen? How did I know that Reba McIntyre was in this movie? Not that I'm the world's biggest Reba McIntyre fan, but I feel like Reba is inherently kind of a meme at this point. And maybe it's the Keenan sketch from SNL, maybe it's the TikTok song using her um theme song from her show. But also I watched that show and it was actually a good show. So I'm not not a Reba fan, but just like her being this like cute little country biscuit, like talking so much about these guns, like tossing people things, being like, here's a B6954 with a JJKKLBB in a wagga woo-moo. And I was just like, what is she saying?

SPEAKER_03 45:36

I would like to point out though that I think she had one of the better performances in the movie, period.

SPEAKER_00 45:41

Yeah, she was actually surprisingly just like dropped into that character. I think because part of that is Reba. You think that's just like Reba showed up and just read some lines as herself? I think that's a facet that exists in Reba's character.

SPEAKER_03 45:54

Wrote her own lines.

SPEAKER_00 45:55

Yeah, all improved. Fame improv artist, Reba McIntyre. I loved her character.

SPEAKER_01 46:00

I think there's there's one character to me that's kind of wishy-washy, and that's uh, and that's Val. So Kevin Bacon, I think, is enjoyable for me. I know we had some issues with him in in general, but I liked Val sometimes. But the worst part of the movie was when Val was a horn dog.

SPEAKER_03 46:18

Yes, yes. Mac is very consistent and on brand for your worst part of a movie to be some man disrespecting a woman. This is why I love you. I would agree. I think the real worst part of the movie is the music, and it's particularly the comedic, like slapsticky music, but I know I had to give it a compliment, and I will give the compliment of it ending as it began in the same place where Val was when we started the movie, and then there's that moment in the beginning when he's yelling, Stampede, Stampede, and Earl in his sleeping bag, like a graboid, crawl out and falls out outside of the truck and lands on his head. And it's just like this foreshadowing of what was actually to come later in the movie. That's the best part.

SPEAKER_01 47:02

But what part of the ending was added in? What what part did you not like?

SPEAKER_03 47:06

That bullshit kiss.

SPEAKER_00 47:07

Yeah, that made no sense. I was like, Stop.

SPEAKER_03 47:10

There's no way Rhonda would settle for the likes of fucking Val.

SPEAKER_00 47:13

And he even admitted that. He said, What does a girl like this want with a guy like me? And I said, Nothing. Don't follow her, let her go.

SPEAKER_03 47:20

All you do is overshadow her.

SPEAKER_00 47:22

Even though she was like lingering, she lingered there for no reason, and I was like, That's not that's not Rhonda. I know Rhonda, and that's not her. I don't have a worse part because I hacked the movie. So best part of this movie, definitely Reba, also Reba, also a little bit best part, the friendship between Earl and Valentine. Just a little bit, because I almost always hate those like straight guys that are friends. But I was like, I kind of like these two, and I'm holding on to that.

SPEAKER_02 47:50

Well, I have to give a worst part. So unfortunately, Paris, the worst part of this movie was when they were pole vaulting to the car, but it was the music choice behind it. It was cute and fun. No, it wasn't. It was very off-brand for this movie, but on brand because the score went from like some Jurassic Park like heavy stuff, like you know, to build the atmosphere, and then it went to very action-oriented. Then you had some like 80s shit like thrown in, or like did little yeah, and it was really cringy, and I was like very confused on what I needed to feel during this movie, especially during that part, and that was like very cringy for me.

SPEAKER_00 48:35

I suppose I can see that.

SPEAKER_01 48:39

You know, it's a part that you'll remember though, right? And I I think there's many parts of this movie that I remember from childhood, and that's why I have seen it many times, and I'm probably gonna see it again.

SPEAKER_03 48:51

Legitimately, no, never. I'd explore the franchise, but I don't think I'd ever care to watch this particular entry.

SPEAKER_00 48:57

If I ever watch this movie again, it's because I'm still with my boyfriend Dwight and it's on in the background in our home, and I'm on my phone playing a game.

SPEAKER_02 49:05

I would love to discover the rest of the franchise, so maybe I'll have a tremors, you know, night one night.

SPEAKER_00 49:11

Alexis, I don't recommend it. Each new one, they get a new ability. So, like at one point they fly, and then another point they swim and they like do all these different things, and I was like, I like that a lot. They evolve.

SPEAKER_03 49:23

Well, let's see if there's any more to discover about the franchise in Max Fact or Fiction.

SPEAKER_01 49:28

Number one. The 89 GMC that Bert owned was actually Michael Gross's own car.

SPEAKER_02 49:34

I want to say it's a fact.

SPEAKER_01 49:36

Sure. Oh, I think that sounds true. It is a fact. He bought it brand new in 1988. He drove it for nine years, after which he bought another one that he kept for nine years. So they last a long time? Apparently. GMC Jimmy. Number two. Finn Carter was so nervous about slipping out of her jeans in front of Kevin Bacon that she rehearsed the scene ten times before shooting to make sure she got it right.

SPEAKER_02 50:01

Nah, I think that was on the first take. She's like, take these off. Um, I'm sure she didn't say that. I'm sure she didn't rehearse it. So fiction.

SPEAKER_00 50:09

I'm gonna say fiction because in my modeling years, you get very used to just dropping trowel in front of strangers at any moment. And I feel like the same is probably true for like actors in Hollywood, so I feel like she's probably no stranger to this. In a not pervy way.

SPEAKER_01 50:23

Well, this is a fiction. She didn't rehearse it because she wanted it to be an authentic moment. Or that. Before Instagram as well. Can't even believe it. Number three, this was Ron Underwood's feature film directorial debut, and Reba McIntyre's feature film debut. But Underwood wasn't into the idea of casting the Country Star when she asked to audition.

SPEAKER_02 50:42

I feel like you're tricking us somewhere in that long sentence. Um, but I'm gonna say it's fact.

SPEAKER_00 50:47

I'm gonna say fiction because he would be a fool to not want Reba in the project.

SPEAKER_01 50:51

So this is a fact. He actually so he knew that non-actor celebs being cast in movies would be kind of kitsch, right? But he finally let her show her skills and he was like, oh yeah, that's the one right there. And it's still a little kitschy. But she has a standout performance. Yeah, I mean kitsch, I mean, I love kitsch, so. And number four, after making the film, Kevin Bacon felt like he hit rock bottom, breaking down in front of his wife because he couldn't believe he was in a film about underground worms.

SPEAKER_02 51:17

I don't know Kevin Bacon, but he kind of seems like an asshole to do that. So fact.

SPEAKER_00 51:22

I know Kevin Bacon is like a recurring joke on Will and Grace, and was even on the show, so I feel like he can have fun with himself. So I'm gonna say fiction. This one is a fact.

SPEAKER_01 51:31

So this is after filming the movie, but before it was released. After the release, though, he actually stated it was the single most fun time he's ever had making a movie ever. He was just nervous that it would come out like shit, probably. Maybe. He thought, man, this is gonna be one of those straight to VHS kind of movies, and I'm never gonna get another movie job after this. But uh, he was wrong.

SPEAKER_03 51:51

Nope, that was part two.

SPEAKER_01 51:52

That's exactly right. And this has been fact or fiction.

SPEAKER_03 51:56

Well, there you have it, folks. The first Tremors film has earned two slashes and two hacks. Now we've certainly had a robust discussion here, but it doesn't end here by any means. We want to know what you thought of these graboids and how you'd respond if you were to encounter them. Keep in mind there are a number of ways you can reach out to us, starting with our website, hackerslash.live, or on our social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

SPEAKER_01 52:18

If you're a Graboid expert, you can also reach out to our Hackerslash Hotline. You can leave us a voicemail at 757-606-0128, or visit hackerslash.com.

SPEAKER_00 52:34

And if you've enjoyed listening to this episode, consider becoming one of our patrons like our newest friend Elizabeth. You can visit patreon.com slash hacker slash to earn cool perks for as low as $1 a month.

SPEAKER_03 52:44

We'll see you next time, folks. And remember, running's not a plan. Running's what you do once a plan fails. Bye.